


Dig Your Way Through (To My Heart)

by IdrisTardis7878



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan - Freeform, F/M, Post-College AU, This may never be finished, but i hope to finish it one day, it was for a big bang that i never ended up completing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 23:10:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16881039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdrisTardis7878/pseuds/IdrisTardis7878
Summary: Emma Swan has just graduated from college and has the rest of her life all mapped out. Or does she? An unexpected invitation from a childhood friend seemingly derails her careful plans, but might end up being the best thing that could have happened to her.A post-college CS AU.





	Dig Your Way Through (To My Heart)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr August 2, 2015.

_Providence, R.I. – The second week of June…_

Emma turned the Bug down the latest in what seemed like a never-ending series of narrow, twisting, tree lined streets, peering at the numbers on the houses as she passed. They were all quaint and old, and marched in imperfect rows up the gently sloping hill that took her away from the small city’s downtown. Most were clapboard, painted in subdued shades that seemed eminently suited to their obvious age, but a few sturdy structures of ruddy-colored brick intruded every few blocks. The latter grew more pronounced (and more densely packed) the further upwards she drove, heading towards where not one but two college campuses sprawled and spilled over the crown of the hill.

She craned her neck in an attempt to ensure that she didn’t miss the street she was looking for. She’d been told it would be hard to spot, and the neighborhood was loaded with one-way streets – she wasn’t looking forward to adding an extra fifteen minutes to her drive just because she made one wrong turn.  _I should’ve thought to pull the map up on my phone before I left Maine, but that would have been too easy, wouldn’t it?_ She thought to herself, her inner voice taking a decidedly sarcastic tone.

It was hot and she was tired, not to mention getting hungrier by the minute. She just wanted to get to her destination, unpack the car, and collapse – preferably after indulging in some beer and several slices of pizza.

_Oh yeah, and strangle Ruby for roping me into this…but not until after the pizza._

Finally, she spotted the correct street sign and, heaving a sigh of relief, steered the Bug in its direction. The house she was looking for proved to be one of the clapboard brigade, and as she pulled up in front, she saw that it was three stories and painted a light green that made her think oddly of celery, but was not at all unpleasant. The trim was a darker green, and the door – which was set back from the street behind a slightly wild-looking front garden – was a deep, rich red.

Emma turned off the Bug and got out, stretching her legs as soon as she could. It hadn’t been too much more of a drive than going from Maine to Boston, but she was still glad to be done with it. She leaned against the car, crossing her arms and gazing up at the house in front of her. It certainly looked pleasant enough – hopefully Ruby’s rather large collection of housemates wouldn’t make living there unbearable.

Because even though it was the last place she’d expected to be right after finishing undergrad, for this summer, it was home.

 

* * *

 

_Boston University’s Mugar Memorial Library – Mid-May…_

Sitting up and pushing back slightly from her study carrel, Emma rolled her neck and shoulders in a vain attempt to eradicate the kinks borne of too many hours spent hunched in the same position. She glanced around her, taking in the abnormally busy library. The hushed stillness of the reading room was punctuated from time to time with low murmurs coming from clusters of students working together and the occasional person making the necessary runs either to the vending or copying machines.

There was no mistaking it – finals week was just about to start.

Emma herself had been practically living in her carrel for the past three days, trying to take advantage of every bit of reading period. She only had two exams, both of which she felt pretty confident about – she was more concerned with the two final papers for her other classes, and had wanted to get as much extra research and writing done as possible.

 _Ugh, I’ve been here so long I think I’ve forgotten what my dorm room even looks like_ , she thought to herself as she scrubbed a hand over her face, trying to combat the fatigue she felt creeping over her in a wave. Just as she was contemplating calling it quits for the day and seeing if her roommate was up for a slightly early dinner –  _maybe Mary-Margaret will want to go off-campus, I’ve got a craving for Chinese_  – she felt her phone vibrate. Fishing it out of her pocket, she saw that the screen was lit up with a text notification from Ruby.

 _Well, shit_.

Emma hadn’t been avoiding her friend’s texts…well, not  _exactly_. Though Ruby had sent her several unanswered messages over the last couple of days, she’d reasoned that she’d been really busy with studying and getting ready for graduation and she’d told herself that she’d get back in touch with Ruby once she’d gotten through at least one of her finals and things were a little less crazy.

 _Uh huh_ , the little voice in her head piped up,  _and you not answering has nothing at **all**  to do with the voicemail she left for you last Friday, hmm?_

She sighed, shaking her head, and knowing that arguing with herself was pointless. She  _had_  been reluctant to answer the voicemail Ruby had left for her late Friday evening, as she didn’t have a good answer to her friend’s questions, and she didn’t have time right now to get into a long conversation with her about it. But it looked like she wasn’t going to be able to put it off much longer. It seemed that, true to form, Ruby wasn’t going to take Emma’s silence as an answer. Sure enough, Emma was brought out of her thoughts by her phone vibrating twice more in quick succession. Finally, she swiped at the lock screen and looked down at the texts that had accumulated.

**R: Emma, I *know* you must have listened to my voicemail by now. So? What do you think?**

**R: Are you seriously ignoring me right now? You know I’ll just keep texting till I hear from you.**

**R: Emmaaaaaaaaaa….c’mooooooooooon. Emmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaa!!!**

Emma chuckled softly, in spite of herself, before tapping out a quick reply.

**_E: I’ve been kinda busy, Rubes. Some of us *are* studying for finals, you know. :)_ **

**R: Hey! I’ve got finals too, and I still manage to stay in touch with my lifelong friends.**

**_E: Ouch. Way to lay on the guilt trip._ **

**R: Well, it’s been nearly three days and you hadn’t answered. I was getting worried.**

**_E: I’m sorry. I really *have* been slammed. I’ve got to do well, you know? I can’t coast just ‘cause it’s my last semester._ **

**R: You’re going to ace everything. You know you will. Stop worrying, Ems. Now, I need an answer. What. Do. You. Think?**

**_E: Ruby…_ **

**R: Emmmmmmma.**

**_E: I…I don’t think it would be a good idea. I need to stay focused. I’m sorry._ **

**R: You’ve been nothing *but* focused – especially this year! You’re graduating in a couple of weeks. You need time to decompress before you start grad school in the fall!**

**_E: Which is why I’m planning on going home for a while. Nothing to do in Storybrooke BUT decompress._ **

**R: Pff! You’ll be bored silly in a week. Live a little, Ems. I miss you.**

**_E: I just saw you two weeks ago, Ruby._ **

**R: I know, but I miss YOU. You’ve got to stop hiding sometime, Emma.**

Emma stared down at her phone, suddenly feeling like all the air had been sucked out of the room, unsure whether she was more angry or hurt by Ruby’s insinuation. The anger was easier to deal with, though, so she let it bubble to the surface, typing out a terse answer. She didn’t much care if it was abrupt (and basically proved Ruby’s point) she just had to put an end to the conversation.

**_E: You know what? Gotta go. Sorry._ **

Guilt over cutting Ruby off twisted in her gut, but she pushed it down as she stood. She quickly gathered up her books and laptop, shoving them haphazardly in her bag. Throwing it over her shoulder and stuffing her still madly buzzing phone back into her pocket, she stalked across the reading room, past the checkout desk, and out the library’s main doors. She continued across the campus at a blistering pace, not breaking stride until Ruby must have finally given up and her phone had mercifully gone quiet. By that point she was almost all the way back to her dorm, and she slowed her pace, slipping inside and trudging up the stairs to the room she shared with Mary-Margaret.

It was only as she was turning her key in the lock that she realized she should have taken more care to be quiet when entering the room. A vague memory of her roommate saying something about taking a nap that afternoon surfaced in Emma’s brain, but a few moments too late for her to be stealthy about opening the door. As it turned out, Emma wished she’d thought to knock instead, as it would have saved her from walking in on a Mary-Margaret who was most definitely  _not_  napping.

“Oh! Emma! You’re back early –” her roommate sputtered, scrambling for her sweater, which had somehow ended up decorating the lamp on her bedside table.

Emma turned quickly, facing her bed and dropping her satchel down on the covers. She thought about closing her eyes as well, just for good measure, but realized she was being ridiculous. Besides, the opportunity to tease the pair behind her was too good to pass up. “So, uh, didn’t expect to see you today, David,” she chuckled softly. “At least not so much of you.”

The soft shuffling sounds of two people trying to discreetly shimmy back into their clothing finally subsided and Emma judged that the coast was clear. She turned back around and sat on the edge of her bed, cautiously raising her eyes to where the couple sat – slightly rumpled and flustered – on Mary-Margaret’s bed. David met her eyes and cleared his throat softly. “Sorry about the lack of warning, Emma,” he said, the hint of a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Got a bit carried away – didn’t have time to hang my necktie on the doorknob, so to speak.”

Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, shaking her head and heaving a long-suffering sigh at his terrible joke. “We thought you were staying later at the library,” she muttered, though she sounded amused.

Emma chuckled and shook her head. “No, it’s my fault – I decided to take a break and I thought I’d see if you wanted to get an early dinner,” she said, glancing at Mary-Margaret and keeping her tone neutral. She carefully skirted any mention of her text conversation with Ruby. “I should’ve let you know I was on my way back here.” She gestured at the door before continuing. “I’m sorry I interrupted – I can just head back out and grab something on my own.”

David was shaking his head before she even finished speaking. “Thanks, but we really  _did_  lose track of time. I have to work tonight. I’d better get moving.”

“If you’re sure –” Emma began but David waved her off as he stood and started gathering his things. She kicked off her shoes and shuffled further up her bed, relaxing into the mattress and closing her eyes so that David and Mary-Margaret could have at least some privacy while they said goodbye. After she heard the door open and close behind him, she rolled to her side and propped her head on her hand so that she could peer at Mary-Margaret. “I’m really  _am_  sorry. Although,” she said, pausing and smiling a bit mischievously herself, “I would be  _more_  sorry if it weren’t the fourth time I’ve interrupted you…this  _month_.”

To her credit, Mary-Margaret didn’t even blush. She just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Hey, when you’ve got a good thing you should enjoy it, right? I mean,” she grinned at Emma, “wouldn’t you?”

Emma mock-shuddered. “Not that particular good thing, no,” she teased. She loved David, but he was practically the closest thing she had to a brother.

Now she was the one on the receiving end of Mary-Margaret’s eye rolling. “You  _know_  what I meant, Em.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, sitting up again so that she was facing her roommate properly. “So…are you upset that I inadvertently chased off your boyfriend, or are you up for getting some dinner?”

Mary-Margaret smiled at her and nodded. “I could eat, yeah. What were you thinking?”

“I’ve had a dumpling craving all day like you wouldn’t  _believe_. You mind walking over to Beijing Café?” she asked as she sat up and slid her shoes back on.

“Not if you don’t mind heading over to Insomnia Cookies after for dessert,” Mary-Margaret replied as she grabbed her purse.

Emma quirked an eyebrow at her roommate. “Did you forget who you’re talking to here? In fact, I think if they have any of the triple chocolate chunk tonight I might grab a few to bring back here. I didn’t quite finish everything I’d hoped to before leaving the library, so I’ll probably be up kinda late.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mary-Margaret opened their door and they started their trek across campus towards the bustle of Comm Ave. They chatted easily as they walked, sharing their respective worries about their upcoming finals and their excitement for graduation.

“Have you decided whether or not you’re staying in Boston this summer?” Mary-Margaret asked. “I wondered if you would to get a jump on looking for apartments for the fall.”

Emma should have anticipated that the next logical topic of conversation would be summer plans, but after her argument with Ruby, she’d so successfully pushed all thoughts of the summer out of her mind that Mary-Margaret’s question somehow managed to take her by surprise. “Oh, no…I’ve decided I’m going to head back to Maine. It’ll be nice to get away from school, and the city, and relax for a while.”

Mary-Margaret nodded. “If anyone deserves that, Emma, it’s you.”

Thinking of Ruby’s similar comments, a wave of defensiveness rushed over Emma. “Why do you say that?” she asked, unable to keep a slightly tart edge out of her voice.

Her roommate glanced at her as they walked along. “No particular reason,” she said, shrugging. “I mean, we  _all_  are overdue for a break.”

Emma sighed. “I’m sorry…I just…I kind of had a texting fight with Ruby earlier about something eerily similar, but I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Mary-Margaret waved off her apology with a smile. “No worries. Is she still pushing the Providence thing?”

“Yup,” Emma said, shaking her head as she remembered that she’d filled her roommate in on Ruby’s request when it had first come up a few days earlier. “I finally told her that I didn’t think it was a good idea, but she wouldn’t let it go.”

“Why?”

Emma snorted. “You’ve  _met_  Ruby, Mary-Margaret. When have you ever known her to give up easily? She’s like a dog with a bone when she really wants something.”

Mary-Margaret chuckled. “True. But that’s not what I meant,” she said. “You say it’s not a good idea – you’ve  _been_  saying that since Friday. But you haven’t really said why.”

“Oh, well…” she trailed off for a moment before voicing similar reasons to those she’d given Ruby. “I haven’t been home since Christmas and I really wanted to spend some time with Ingrid and everyone there. Anna’s going to be doing her junior year abroad in Norway next year, so it’s my last chance to really spend time with her before she goes.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “I’ve been working  _so_  hard and I just want to relax…but I also need to stay focused enough that I’m not totally out of the academic habit by the time I’m supposed to start grad school.”

“That’s all valid.” Her roommate said before falling quiet, and Emma looked over to see a pensive expression cross the brunette’s face. They walked along in silence for a couple of moments, but Emma could practically feel the tension radiating off of the other woman.

“But?” she prompted. “Out with it. I can tell there’s something else you want to say.”

“Well,” Mary-Margaret stopped and Emma did too, turning to look squarely at her friend. The earnest expression on the shorter woman’s face tugged at something in Emma’s gut. “I don’t know Ruby as well as I know you, and the two of you have been friends a lot longer than you and I have…but I think…I think she’s just worried about you.”

Emma stiffened instinctively. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can,” her friend agreed, “but you’ve been so honed in on getting into grad school,  _so_  zeroed in on that goal –”

“You know why I had to be,” Emma cut in. “I couldn’t afford  _not_  to work as hard as I could after what happened last year.”

“Yes, but now you’ve  _done_  it. You’ve succeeded,” Mary-Margaret said fervently. “Emma…I watched you wall yourself off after what Neal did to you…” the mention of her ex’s name caused Emma to flinch slightly, but Mary-Margaret pressed on. “…I watched you drown yourself in work, not just because you had to but because it was the way that you coped with, well,  _everything_. I watched you do it and I didn’t say anything because at the time it seemed like it was helping you.”

“And now?” Emma gritted out. Part of her didn’t want to know what Mary-Margaret would say, but her curiosity grudgingly overcame her hesitance.

“Now?” Her friend sighed. “Now, I’m not so sure…I’d assumed that concentrating on school was helping you move on. But maybe…maybe it actually has kept you stuck.” She paused, biting her lip for a moment before continuing. “Not everything in your life can be a reaction to the situation with Neal, Emma. At some point you have to start living for yourself again.”

“Wow.” Emma couldn’t help but take a step back from Mary-Margaret, huffing out a deep breath and shaking her head in disbelief.  _Was this how everyone saw her? As some miserable, emotionally-inept, academics-obsessed hermit?_  Her instinct was to lash out with a sarcastic response, but she struggled against it. Arguing with one friend was already more than enough for today. She really didn’t want to make it two. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she looked at her friend searchingly. “Look…it’s not that I disagree. I just don’t see how spending the summer down there, waitressing with her and goofing off is going to achieve that.”

Mary-Margaret smiled gently at her, a knowing expression on her face. “And going back to Storybrooke and scooping ice cream for Ingrid will?”

She stared at her friend for a long moment before shaking her head slightly, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Touché.”

“Look at it this way,” Mary-Margaret started as they began walking again. “Storybrooke’s a known quantity. There aren’t any surprises there. You know Boston really well too, so when you come back here in the fall, it’ll all be pretty familiar. But if you take Ruby up on her offer, you’ll be in a new place, with entirely new people. You never know who you might meet or what adventures you might have.”

Emma laughed genuinely at that. “One thing I’ve always admired about you is your unfailing optimism.”

“Thanks. It  _does_  come in handy more often than not,” Mary-Margaret said with a grin.

The pair continued on in companionable silence for a few more minutes, rapidly approaching the edge of campus. The hum of traffic on Comm Ave was faintly audible in the near distance by the time Emma spoke again. “I’m going to have to apologize to Ruby either way, aren’t I?”

Mary-Margaret gave her a  _look_  before replying. “You know the answer to that, Emma. But c’mon, dinner and cookies first. I’m starving.”

“Ugh, fiiine,” she whined, following the other woman as they walked towards the corner so that Mary-Margaret could press the button on the crosswalk signal. “I’ll call her when we get back to our room.” She shoved her hands in her pockets as she trailed Mary-Margaret across the street, still unsure whether the impending conversation with Ruby would simply be an apology for how she’d been behaving, or whether she’d actually agree to her friend’s invitation after all – that is, if Ruby still even wanted her to come.

Only time would tell.


End file.
